The Least I Could Do
by Kristen3
Summary: In order to aid a very stressed-out Daphne, Niles offers to take his son to the park. He ends up finding a way to let Daphne know how much her husband and son both love her. One-shot.


As Daphne vacuumed the living room, she found herself overcome with anger at her father-in-law. She had a great deal of chores to do, and she'd planned to get them all done right after the old man's daily therapy session. But, of course, his usual complaining had made the therapy last twice as long as it should have. Daphne had had to enlist Ronee to talk sense into her husband. The whole thing left Daphne completely stressed out.

Niles came downstairs from the master bedroom, and he could already sense that something wasn't right. Even with the vacuum drowning out Daphne's mutterings, he could tell that she was angry. He glanced over at the playpen where one-year-old David was currently amusing himself. Suddenly, he had an idea. He walked over and picked his son up, kissing his cheek. "I think we need to get out of here," he whispered. Still carrying the infant, Niles approached Daphne, tapping her on the shoulder. "Daphne?"

She nearly jumped in surprise. "Oh! Darling!" She tried her best to forget about her frustrations. None of this was his fault.

"I can see that you're a bit overworked at the moment, so why don't I take David to the park for a while? That way we'll be out of your hair."

His words finally made Daphne relax a bit. "I know I shouldn't let your father get to me this way. He's been a stubborn old sod for as long as I've known him! But sometimes everything just sort of hits me at once." She sighed.

Niles caressed her cheek. "You work very hard, and you're entitled to get a bit frustrated from time to time. Dad should understand that you've got other responsibilities now. I promise I'll speak to him first thing in the morning."

Daphne felt a rush of love for him. She kissed Niles deeply. "Thank you, Darling. I think David would have a ball at the park. I promise that by the time you get back, I'll be in a better mood. Or at least I'll try." She smiled, trying her best to make it stick.

"Believe me, I know how hard you work. I honestly don't know how you do it. Just try to relax, all right? You do a wonderful job of taking care of this house. You don't need to be Superwoman."

"I'll try," Daphne said. "Now, go take David out to play. Thank you so much for doing this."

Niles smiled. "It's nothing. I think a little fresh air would do us both some good." He lifted one of David's tiny hands, waving goodbye to Daphne as they left. He prayed that the time alone would allow Daphne to cool off some. Taking David for an outing was a small price to pay if it would allow Daphne to enjoy her life a bit more.

A few minutes later, Niles had carefully put David into a car seat and driven him to a nearby playground. When the arrived, Niles set his son on the ground near the sandbox. Even at such a young age David usually had no trouble amusing himself. Then Niles took a seat on a bench, making sure he could keep an eye on David from where he sat. He watched as David seemed to explore the ground a bit. He was much fonder of getting dirty than his father or uncle had ever been. Niles supposed this was a bit of the Moon genes coming out. As his son played, Niles found his mind beginning to wander. At first, he thought of the recent crises he'd had with his patients. There was never any shortage of trouble with them. But, gradually, his thoughts turned to Daphne. He let himself go back in time a bit, to those years when he'd loved her in secret. The memories flooded his mind, and Niles wasn't really paying attention to David anymore.

A few minutes later, Niles' thoughts were brought back to reality when he noticed David toddling towards him. He'd only just mastered the art of walking, but apparently, he could cover quite a distance when he wanted to. In David's tiny hand was a clump of grass, roots and all. Dirt was collecting on the ground below, but the baby was oblivious. He held his small collection of plants out to his father.

"What's this?" Niles asked. "Is it for me?" He took the grass from his son, being careful not to get any dirt on himself.

"Mama," was David's response.

"Oh, this is a gift for your mommy?" Niles replied. Was it really possible David had tried to pick flowers for his mother? It seemed impossible, and yet it seemed to be true.

David nodded vigorously. "Mama," he repeated.

Niles put the grass back on the ground, scooping David up instead. "How about we get your mom some real flowers instead? I think she'd like that." David grinned and nodded once again. Niles could only kiss David's cheek yet again. He'd had no idea his young son was capable of something like this. But he knew what he had to do next. Quickly, he left the park, after making sure that David's hands were properly cleaned. The boy may have no problem getting dirty, but Niles would still maintain his standards for cleanliness no matter what.

They got back into the car, and Niles drove to his favorite flower shop. He never failed to make sure that Daphne received a bouquet on her birthday, as well as other special occasions. "Let's get your mommy some real flowers," Niles said as he lifted David from the car seat.

When the entered the florists', Niles was immediately hit with the many aromas of the flowers on display. His allergies could definitely go haywire in a place like this. But he would suffer through it in order to buy Daphne the most perfect flowers imaginable.

"Dr. Crane!" The woman behind the counter recognized him immediately.

Niles smiled in greeting. This woman had waited on him before. "My son and I would like to by some flowers for his mommy."

"Mrs. Crane is a lucky woman," said the saleswoman. "What do you think she'd like?"

Niles looked around. The choices were overwhelming. But he remembered this had been David's idea. He carried the boy over to a counter that seemed to have a variety of different flowers. Every color had been represented in this one space. "What should we get for Mommy?"

Immediately. David's tiny hand pointed. He indicated a group of small pink flowers. It didn't take Niles more than a second to know Daphne would love them. "Perfect," he said, kissing his son's cheek. He turned back to the saleswoman. "Do you think you could build an arrangement around these?"

"I think I could do that." The young woman smiled. She grabbed the flowers they had chosen, along with a few others. A moment later, she'd made a bouquet that was sure to take Daphne's breath away. Niles didn't hesitate to pay for the flowers. He could hardly wait to get home to see her reaction.

Niles held his son close once more as he prepared to unlock the door to their apartment. "Now, who are we giving these to?"

"Mama!" David's response was immediate.

"Right," Niles said, feeling a rush of pride. "And I'll tell her this was your idea. I hope it makes her happy. I hate seeing her so upset." He unlocked the door. To his surprise, the living room was empty. "Daphne?"

She came downstairs at once. "Hello, Darling!" The smile she wore made it clear her spirits had lifted. "I've had some time to think, and I realize that I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful husband and son in me life. If putting up with your father is the price I have to pay, then so be it. It's nothing I can't handle."

"I'm glad to hear that, my love." Niles looked at her and found himself falling in love all over. "Now, I have something to give you. But you should know it was all David's idea." He held out the flowers to her.

Daphne gasped. "These are beautiful! Thank you both so much!" She turned to David, who remained in his father's arms. "Was this really your idea?"

David nodded, grinning shyly. Looking at her son, Daphne couldn't help being reminded of the years when Niles used to try to hide his feelings for her. She took the baby from Niles, kissing him. "Thank you! You've been taking lessons from your daddy, haven't you? He's always trying to do something to make me feel special." She eyed Niles, smiling at him.

Niles blushed at her words. "Well, you've done so much for me over the years, including giving me the greatest miracle I could've asked for." He placed a hand on David's back, making sure Daphne understood him. "It seems the least I can do to make you feel special whenever I can."

All Daphne could do was lean forward, kissing Niles for a long moment. Suddenly, as she looked at the faces of the two people she loved most, she realized _this_ was what mattered. There was no amount of frustration Daphne couldn't handle, as long as she had these two beside her.

**The End**


End file.
